Closure



April 29, 1947. L, B, KOQNTZ' 2,419,648

CLOSURE Filed March- 9', 1945 Patented Apr. 29, 1947 CLOSURE V Lamont B. Koontz, Deer Lodge, Mont.

Application March 9, 1943, Serial No. 478,578

8 Claims. (01. 189-76) Glazed closures, in the past, have been principally of the sort in which a frame is provided of sufiicient strength and rigidity to cope with the stresses to which it is subjected; a pane or panes of glass being fitted within said frame in anyconvenient manner. This sort of closure has been generally satisfactory excepting that an appreciable portion of the opening is occupied by the Fig. 6 is a plan View of a corner of a closure with both frame members in place and the joint in the outer member ready for welding,

Fig. '7 is a plan view of a corner of a closure with only the inner frame in place/the inner frame being notched for the corner in a modified manner.

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a muntin joint as used frame, and attempts to minimize the size of the frame needed have met with indifferent success. Lately, frameless panes have been used for closures but these have been expensive due to the thickness and quality of the glass required for such a closure. The present invention contem- 'plates a structure in which the best characteristics of each sort of closure are retained, and

p with a minimum of materiaLhence it is an object of thisinvention to make a transparent closure having a metal frame in which adequate strength and rigidity is attained with a minimum of majlterial.

It is a further object to make a framed closure of transparent material in which the transparent material is under compression and the frame is in tension, thus increasing the resistance to breakage .of said transparent material and rigidifying the entire structure. Also, in the structure to be described, a maximum of sight area for a framed panel'is provided. 7 g

By increasing the strength and rigidity of a glazed closure in the manner to be described, the

glazing material is made less liable to fracture ,and thus the safetyfactor is'increaseth The closures contemplated are considered to be of use for windows, doors, doors for cabinets, especially .metal kitchen cabinets, window elements for double glazing, and the like. 7 a Q Q These and other objects will be made apparent upon study of the following specification.

Fig. l is an elevationview of a closure of the sort described. V p

1 Fig.2 is an elevation view ofa modified closure wherein false muntins are used'to give a different appearance. 7 I

' Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, enlarged for clarity.

Fig. 4 is a'sim'ilar section taken on the line 4-4 'ofFig.2. Fig. is a plan View of a corner of a closure i'with only the inner frame member in place. I

in the present structure, the outer members being ready to weld.

Fig. 9 is a plan View of a modified closure before the outer frame is applied. The closure of Fig. 1 or 2 comprises a pane l, preferably of a vitreous material such as glass, although other transparent, translucent or opaque materials may be used, and a frame 2 of metal. As shownin Figs. 3 and 4, frame 2 comprises an inner member 5 and an outer member 6, said inner member 5 being preferably-made of copper, although any metal having a high coefficient of thermal conductance maybe used; said outer frame member 6 being of steel, although stainless steel, light metal alloys, bronzes or other suitable metals may be used. It is desirable that the outer the other side of the notch makes an angle of degrees withsaidmember. The notching dewscrib'ed is considered as'illustrative only, for the important consideration'in the corner construc- -=t-ion of the inner member is the provision that the line of the joint will not lie under the joint line of the outer member, when applied, as will be described. Fig. 6 showsa corner of the closure with the outer frame member in place and ready for welding, the outer frame member being notched symmetrically, thus the joint line of same makes an angle of 45 degrees with either branch of saidframe member. Here again, it is not the angle which the joint line makes that is-important, but rather the condition that the joint line of the outer member will not lie over the'joint line in the member beneath, for reasons that will glass. a.- shrink :fit and without I the .5 ends :being joined In Fig. 8, it is noted that the muntin joints comprise a notch in the inner frame member 5 to receive strip 2!, of material similar to that of frame 5. Strip 22, similar to outer frame member 6, is arranged adjacent to said member 6 and is shown in such position ready for welding. In Fig. 9 is shown a corner member 40 of material similar to that contemplated for inner frame 5, which corner members may be used instead of an inner frame, said members comprising angularly related flanges 4| and 42, said flanges being connected by flanges 43, said corner members 40 being slipped over the corners of the pane l prior to installing outer frame 6.

To construct a closure of the sort described, a suitable pane I is firstfitted with an innerframe 5, or corners 40. This may be done by suitably notching the strip which is to form said frame 5 and turning flanges 8 or 9 at right angles to base portion 1, base portion 1 then being suitably bent 20 at the corner portions and the ends of the strip joined, if desired, whereupon the paneisfitted within the frame thus formed and the remaining flange 8 or 9 is turned down against the surface of the glass. For best-results, frame 5 is heated sothat-a shrink: fit may be had on the glasspane, although herethe only-object of a shrimrfit is to insure uthe frame fitting snugly against the .1 glassto; expeditezthe succeeding operation. Both :glass1and,framei'may;be heated, if desired, to minimize thermal: shock, -theframe .preferably being heated to a higher temperature than the Obviously, frame- 5. may be: fitted without thejinnerframe, either flange H or-IZ may be turned at right angles to base. portion l0, base portion lilrthen being'bent atthe corners and the ends of the strip joined, unless the frame be "formed from an endless strip. Outer'frame Bis then suitably heated to expand it enough to slip overpane i and frame 5. 'It is thenapplied over "said pane i and frame 5, and the remaining flanges are turned downsnugly against the inner frame members. The corner joints'of the. outer I frame are then welded'by either are or gas 'Weld- 'ing, this operationbeing made possible by the inner'frame protecting the underlying glass by .dispersin the heat from'the welding operation.

This welding is preferably done while both "the glass and the frames are still hot, for the thermal shock. which might crack the glass; is minimized,

andjthere is less chance of the flanges .of the I outer frame buckling upon cooling.

The glass contemplated in this invention may be annealed, semi-tempered or tempered'and as previously suggested, other suitable materials 'may' be-used instead of glass.

frameare'to be heated will depend largely upon The temperature to which the pane and the the 'materials used and the workmanship of the various parts, the object of the heating being to obtain a shrink fit of the frame on the glass,

.thus placin the glass under .cOmpressiOn and the. frame in tension. The frame maybe finished in any desired manner andrhinges, latches and the-likemaybe fitted inany convenient. manner. "Thestructures and the-procedures above dethe following claims.

I claim:

1. In a closure, a panel of fiat transparent material having corners, means formed of metal having a high coefficient of heat conductivity fitted about said corners and in close surface contact therewith, and a frame about the periphery of said panel overlying and in firm surface contact with said means fitted about said corners, said frame being in a sufficient state of tension 10 to induce substantial compression in said panel.

2. A self -supporting framed closure comprising, in combination, a substantially plane pane of vitreous material having corners and edges, metallic means in surface engagement with said corners and edges, anda metallic member of channel-shaped cross-section havingportions in surface engagement with said metallic means, :said member being in a state of considerable tension, said pane being compressed thereby in such manner that the corners are urged toward each other.

.3.. A self esupporting framed closure comprising, in combination, a substantially plane pane of :vitreous: material having corners and edges, inner glass engaging metallic means substantially cov- ;ering said:corners and. at leastportions =Of3$31id edges in intimate surface engaging contact,r=and outer peripheral frame means enclosing said inner metallic. means and. in, intimate surface engaging contact with same, said frame being substantially tensioned .and said ,pane being compressed thereby.

= 4. ,A closure. as in. claim.,3w-herein ,said. inner metallic, means is of.a thickness. and; material .to

; have good heat conducting properties. and whereinportions of said ,outer framemeansarewelded .overlsaid. inner .metallicmeans.

. 5.. A .closure as in claim .3.whereinsaid metallic means has a high coefficient of thermalconduct- .40 :ance-and wherein saidouter frame means ,com-

prises welded corner .joint portions, said, joint portions directly engaging, said metallic means.

6. A 'closureas in claim .3: whereinthe, inner metallic means ,comprises ..a .memberpf copper, channel-shaped in .crosssction andhavingihe flanges of the channel member arranged in;c1ose- .ly.adjacent opposition at the, cornersand forming 1 .ajoint line, the outer frame means. .a1so..being= of channel-shaped. crosssection and fitted ovensaid so corner means, the flanges. of ,said .outer, means .being. weldedat the, corners with .therweldsbeing in disalignmentwith the, joint. lines .of the/inner .means.

7. A unitary closure comprising,..in-combina- 5s tion,v a; pane of. translucent .materialhavi-ngsurfaces, edgesand .corners, and-a peripheral. frame of 1 relatively small .cross sectional (extent, .said

framecomprising inner metal means .channelshaped in cross-section,,.a. base portion .ofsaid so metal .meansJoeing ,in intimate. contact. with edges of saidpane and the flangesof said metal means being in intimate engagement .withesurfacesmf said .pane, said .metal..means havinga high; co-

efiicient .of thermal. conductance; and .an ,outer 05 sper-ipheral frame portionchannel-shaped in cross section enclosing said inner metaLmea'nsna base .portion of said. outer frameportionbeing. in inti- 1 mate surface. engagement ,with. the .baseportion of said inner metal means and the,fianges-of K said outer frame, portion being.- inhintimateeem gagement with the flanges of'theinner means,

at leastcertain flangesofthe .outerframepertion being welded at a corner of the closure; inz'such 5 an inner:fiange;saidrouter peripheralframe being on a surface of the glass, the outer section being 5 welded to the outer peripheral frame portion, and a portion of the inner section of the muntin is arranged to underlie said weld.

LAMONT BURTON KOONTZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Rogers Mar. 26, 1935 Gordon June 11, 1918 Conover 'Sept. 28, 1909 Wadsworth Sept. 12, 1899 Edwards Nov. 29, 1938 Prahar Dec. 14, 1909 Bray Sept. 21, 1886 Meyers Nov. 21, 1939 Wallace Nov. 2, 1937 Ballentine Nov. 30, 1943 Colina July 18, 1933 Moulton Dec. 29, 1931 Boyer June 4, 1935 

